Torchy and Vee

orts like himself, charter a nice comfortable yacht, and spend the winter knockin' about in the West Indies, with a bunch of bananas

unnin' over some of the details to Mr. Robert

n over to Havana for a week of golf, drop around to Santiago and cheer up Billy Pickens out on his blooming sugar plantation, cross over to Jamaica and

That sort of thing is all well enough for a foot-loose

Babe. "I'll bet she'd be glad to get

suppose you think I wouldn't be misse

concern would never know the difference," says Babe, winkin' friendly at

ntial as he passes my desk, and goes breezin' out towards Broadway. The ten, I take it, i

a tip to St. Peter, or suggest matching quarte

and careless sport," says I. "How does it happ

Mr. Robert. "He thinks it's merely a life sentence that you get for not watching your step. Just as well, perhaps, for Babe is

et as he talks, and among strangers he'd almost pass for a shy bank clerk having a day off. He's the real thing though when it comes to pleasant ways of spending time and money; from saili

you have no interest in financin' Babe Cutler's career. But you have. Can't duck it. Every time you eat a piece of bread, or a slice of toast or a bit of pie crust you're contributin' to Babe's dividends. And he knows about as muc

f off the 4:03 at Piping Rock-having quit early, as a private sec-de-luxe should now and then-who shoul

s, "didn't Bob

e and Mrs. Ellins have a

o of billiards and another go at talking up the cruise. We'l

opens the cut-out, and

try club and back through the middl

cin' at the speedometer,

her house too much for the children. Only three of 'em, but they're all over the place-climbing on you, mauling you, tripping you up. Nurses around,

. "You ain't st

isses, or paw you with sticky fingers-no, thanks. Can't tell Mabel that, though. She seems to think they are all l

t," says I, "if you ever co

Babe. "Fa

istent. With sentiments like that he'd looked on Sister Mabel as a horrible example

ilt cup gait when all of a sudden Babe jams on the emergency and we skids along until we brings

e!" asks Babe,

"She's got a bunch of youngsters with h

Babe. "Well, I

ddled panicky around this young party who wears a brown velvet tam at such a rakish angle on top of her wavy brown hair

be a doctor, do you?"

s, no!"

hat to do to stop nose

"Oh, yes! Put a cold door k

rown paper on hi

ys she, "and an ice pack, too. But it's no use. I must get him to a doctor

. "Torchy, you can hang

walk home

e, hasty. "You-you

he claret drippin' youngster, drapes my

her?" asks Babe, g

little Billy here. Usually he behaves very nicely, but today he seems to be out of luck. His nose started leaking fully half an hour ago. He must have leaked quarts and quarts, all over himself and me. You woul

. "Here we are. Any

stick around a few minutes to see if he wants little Billy taken to th

remarks to Babe. "Don't mind

this. She isn't one of the helpless kind. Some pep to

he Snell part?" says I. "That o

bably change that some of these days

are right, at

ous and real folksy. And now that the scare has faded out of her eyes they have more or less snap to '

pack did the trick. And he'll take Billy home as soo

ve you home, too, and fi

ll. "I'm simply soaked with that youngster's gore. But I live way back on

ys Babe careless. "You're fo

That's why I'm out teaching-makes one less for Dad to have to rustle for. He keeps

says Babe. "And you-yo

d grade stuff, anyway. It's all I could qualify for, though. This is my secon

s, but admits th

me, you need it after you've drilled forty youngsters all through a term. D-o-g, dog; c-a-t, cat. Why will the little imps sing it through their noses? It's the same with the two-times table. And they can be so stupid! I don't b

ts Babe, "you surely have time t

ean, sports?"

rseback riding, or

standing has been below par ever since. As for spare time, there's no such thing. When I've finished helping Ma do the supper dishes there's always a pile of lesson papers to go over, and reports to make out. And Saturdays I can do my washing and mending, maybe shampoo my hair or make over a hat or something. Can yo

says Babe, enthusiastic.

alking? In a year or so I suppose I'll be swinging a broom around my own little flat, coa

hen you've picked o

I expect I'll give in if he keeps it up. He's Dad's helper, you know, and he isn't more'n half as dumb as he looks. Gosh! Here we are. I hope

ramshackle cottage she turns and flashes one of the

I. "Pete mi

," says Babe,

later I'm mildly surprised to hear that he's still stayin' on over at Sister Mabel's. I didn't really suspicion anything until one afternoon, along in the middle of January, when as I steps off the 5:10 I g

on, eh? Or has Billy's little

e I comes home to find Vee all excited over s

"That bachelor friend of Mr. Robert,

ays I.

r of T. Snell, the plumber. And his married sist

" says I. "Might t

school-teacher," protests V

ad what he wanted. And I expect he thought

lly one of the young ladies that had played in mixed foursomes with Babe and probably had the net out for him. But he didn't come

abel calmed down, and the disappointed young ladies crossed Babe off the last-hope list. Besides, a perfectly good scandal broke out in the bridg

who should tap me on the shoulder but the same old Babe. That is, unless you looked close.

n't lost your baggag

that," says he. "

gaspy. "You don't

"She's just quit

why?" I b

Babe. "That's what

all the kinds of clothes she would let him buy, from sport suits to evening gowns. She'd taken up a lot of different things, too-golf, riding, swimming, dancing. Seemed to be havi

, Torchy," he declares,

," says I. "First off, how have

s he. "I was runner up

. "Thirty-six h

n

n with the old crowd e

ow and then

arties down in the

, generally we went into the ballroom evenings and I

ys I. "Then I

too, and having a whale of a time when all of a sudden-Say, Torchy, if it was some break I made I want to know it

ack up!

and if there's to be a finish you might as well be in on that, too. I've got to know what it was I did, though

up to the plumber's house, and if the new Mrs.

and hang around outside whi

her you or Lucy asks," say

ns fair eno

y, when she shows up in that zippy sport suit, just in from a long tramp across country, she looks s

she. "I have nothing agai

he?" says I. "I sha

ou dare say it was, either. If you must know, it wa

e been gawpin' some. "Why, I understa

ooks like a lot of fun to see those girls start off with their golf clubs. Seems easy to swing a driver and crack out the little white ball. Take it from me, though, it's nothing of the kind. Why, I spent hours and hours out on the practice tee with a grouchy Scotch professional trying my best to hit it right. And I couldn't. At the end of three weeks

seems that was old stuff. They aren't doing that now. No, it's the double side stroke, the Australian crawl, and a lot more. One, two, three, four, five, six. Legs straight, chin down, and roll on the three. And if you dream it's a pleasure to have a big husk of an instructor pump your arms back and forth for an hour, and say sarcastic things to you when you get mixed, with a whole gallery of fat old women and grinning old sports looking on-Well, I'm tellin' you it's fierce. Ab-so-lutely

e my doubts. Anyway, it won

gate where Babe is pacin' up and down anxious,

uh,"

ething I did?"

l. You should have had better sense, too. Why, what she was trying to sop up in six weeks most young ladies give as many years to. Near as I ca

min' on me and grabbin'

at enough

Lucy was having the time of her young life. What a chump I was not to see! Say, we'll take a fresh start. And next

ute little stucco cottage over near the country club and tha

sery and al

o telling,

that we s